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Project CREATE: Growing a Highly Qualified Special

Education Teacher Force in South Carolina ______________________

SUSAN DURANT SC Department of Education

JANICE PODA SC Department of Education

JOE SUTTON Bob Jones University

_______________________

2007 CENTER FOR IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY

NATIONAL INVITATIONAL FORUM

ARLINGTON, VA

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Centers for the Re-Education and

Advancement of Teachers in

Special Education

Our Mission

To Grow a Highly Qualified Special Education

Teacher Force in South Carolina

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CREATE of South Carolina

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States with Emergency/Temporary

Teacher Licenses in Special Education (USDE, 2005)

43 of 50 States

(24,458 of 386,522 teachers or 6.33%

of national SpEd teacher force)

Exceptions include Iowa, Mississippi,

Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma,

Virginia, and Wisconsin

Data reflect 2003-2004 year

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CREATE is a Re-Education Initiative

► Implemented in other states, e.g., Virginia (Kneedler & Sutton, 1987-1990)

► Found to be successful at preparing teachers

in new content areas (Adelman, 1986)

► Consistent with the concept of strengthening

and expanding partnerships among teacher

education institutions and local/state agencies,

for the purpose of increasing the number of

highly qualified teachers (USDE, 2005)

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CREATE represents a consortium of SC

universities with NCATE/State-approved

teacher preparation programs in SpEd,

offering a range of add-on certification

courses reflecting CEC Standards in a

variety of course formats, including:

► On-campus courses

► Contract courses

► Satellite/distance courses

► Online courses

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▲

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▲

▲

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CREATE Centers at 8 Universities

UPSTATE:

Clemson University

Lander University

USC–Upstate

Winthrop University

MIDLANDS:

SC State University

USC–Columbia

Francis Marion University

LOW COUNTRY:

College of Charleston

Key Statistics on CREATE for the

Three-Year Period, 2003-2006

► 643 SpEd teachers on waivers identified

► 421 teachers enrolled in the project

► 820 courses completed by enrolled teachers

► 226 teachers completed required courses

► 154 teachers achieved full certification

► 69 of the State’s 85 districts participated

Sutton et al. (2007)

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9

3

33 5

3

0 1

3

10

2

11 11

1

3

1

7

1 17

1

6

15

3

9

9

2

8

4

3

0

8

6

0

5

5

4

0

2

1

0

4

4

5

0

No. of Completers in SC Counties (n=226)

5

5

Gender of Completers (n=226)

87%

13%

Female

Male

10

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Ethnicity/Race of Completers (n=226)

24%

69%

0%

7%0%

African-American

Caucasian

Hispanic

Unknown

American-Indian

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Certification Area of Completers (n=226)

7%

73%

2%

18%

Emotional Disab.

Learning Disab.

Multi-Categorical

Mental Disab.

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Completers Teaching in High Student Risk

School Districts in South Carolina

38%

62%

High Risk

Low Risk

Praxis II-LD Scores of Teachers Certified

Through Add-on Compared to Teachers

Certified Through a BS Degree Program

ANOVA Results: F=2.95, df=1, p=.09

No significant difference

CREATE

(Add-on)

Private SC

Univ. (BS)

Sample n=50 n=23

Mean Score 174.78 178.74

Std. Dev. 10.57 13.01

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Mean Praxis II-LD Scores of Add-on

Completers and BS Degree Completers

174.78

178.74

150

155

160

165

170

175

180

185

Add-on Completers BS Degree Completers

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Praxis II-Core Scores of Teachers Certified

Through Add-on Compared to Teachers

Certified Through a BS Degree Program

ANOVA Results: F=2.37, df=1, p=.12

No significant difference

CREATE

(Add-on)

Private SC

Univ. (BS)

Sample n=45 n=11

Mean Score 173.16 179.08

Std. Dev. 11.43 11.46

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Mean Praxis II-Core Scores of Add-on

Completers and BS Degree Completers

173.16

179.08

150

155

160

165

170

175

180

185

Add-on Completers BS Degree Completers

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Variables that Predict Success in Teachers

Who Complete Certification Course Work

Analysis: Multiple regression (backward elimination)

Dependent Variable: Completion of SpEd Course Work

Independent Variables: 15 demographic descriptors

Sample: n=196

R-Squared: .42 or 40%

Results: F=28.42, df=5,191, p<.001

Significant Predictors: No. GenEd Certifications (p=.02),

No. SpEd Certifications (p<.001), Race (p=02), Years

of Teaching Experience (p=.005), Years of Total Work

Experience (p=.01)

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Effective July 2006

NCLB prohibits States from issuing

emergency waivers or permits to teachers

in any specialty area, including

special education

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CREATE 06-07 is Growing a Highly Qualified

SpEd Teacher Force From 4 Groups:

► SpEd teachers w/ restricted alternative

certificates (RAC)

► SpEd teachers in the State’s Program of

Alternative Certif. for Educators (PACE)

► SpEd teacher assistants (TA) wanting to

upgrade to full certification

► General Ed (GEN) teachers wanting to

become special educators

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Participants Pursue Certification Through

4 Preparation Approaches:

► Add-on certification for RAC, GEN, and

TA’s (that have GEN certification)

► Alternative certification for PACE

► Initial certification (MAT degree) for

TA’s with non-education degrees

► Initial certification (BS degree) for TA’s

with a minimum of 60 credits

CREATE Web Site Home Page

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Sample Semester Course Matrix

SUMMER 2007

= Regular campus course = Distance course = Online course

▼ Courses / University Centers ► CU CofC FMU LU SCSU USCC USCU WU

Introduction to Exceptional Learners EDSP

370

EDFS

710

EDUC

760

SPED

223*

SPED

550

Characteristics: Emotional Disabilities

EDUC

677 SPED

581

Characteristics: Learning Disabilities EDSP

670

EDUC

761

EDUC

677

Characteristics: Mental Disabilities

EDUC

677

Characteristics: Severe Disabilities

Methods for Emotional Disabilities

SPED

582

Methods for Learning Disabilities

SETE

Q690E

Methods for Mental Disabilities

Methods for Severe Disabilities EDFS

796

Behavior Management EDFS

725

EDUC

624*

EDUC

656

PSYC

510

Teach. Reading in General/Special Ed.

EDUC

745

READ 461/571

Lang./Communication for Excep. Ls.

Assessment for Exceptional Learners

EDUC

622

EDUC

676

EDEX

J790

SPED

671

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Success Factors of CREATE

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Cooperation of

SDE, IHEs,

and LEAs Vision for

a Greater

Common Cause

Mechanism for

Touting Success

Efficient Data

Management

Shared Funding

Sources

Identification of

Competency

Needs of Tchrs.

Communication

and Promotion

Rigorous

Content

Preparation

Levels of

Project

Managers

University-

based Centers

Varied Course

Formats

Instructors with

Doctorates

References

Adelman, N. C. (1986). An exploratory study of teacher alternative certification and retraining programs. (Contract No. 300-85-0103). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

Kneedler, R. D., & Sutton, J. P. (1987-1990). Central Virginia Retraining Institute for experienced teachers in special education. Personnel preparation project funded by the Virginia Department of Education, Richmond, VA to the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Sutton, J. P. et al. (2007). Success of South Carolina Project CREATE: 2003-2006. Unpublished raw data.

U.S. Department of Education. (2005). The Secretary’s fourth annual report on teacher quality: A highly qualified teacher in every classroom. Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from http://www.ed.gov/ about/reports/annual/teachprep/2005Title2-Report.pdf

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